Yu Jingchen brought Nan Zhiyun back to the imperial palace. The general's mansion had been largely burned down and carried a heavy scent of blood, so he did not let Nan Zhiyun stay there.
Looking at the unconscious Nan Zhiyun before him, Yu Jingchen felt uneasy. Nan Su's death was a significant blow to Nan Zhiyun.
"Your Majesty!" Xing Lai's footsteps were hurried. Yu Jingchen's brow furrowed.
"The Empress Dowager… she is not well. The imperial physicians say she has only two days left." Xing Lai dared not look up as he spoke. Yu Jingchen's pupils contracted slightly. He looked at Xing Lai.
"What do you mean, 'not well'? She was fine just a few days ago?" Yu Jingchen stood up, seemingly disbelieving the news.
"I just heard from Aunt An Xin that the Empress Dowager lost her sight on the day of the Empress's wedding. She kept it hidden. Today, upon hearing of General Nan's passing and the Empress's near miscarriage, she couldn't bear it and fainted. And… it seems she cannot hear either. The imperial physician just said there appears to be no problem with the Empress Dowager's body, but her pulse is weak. If it remains this way, she has at most two or three days." Xing Lai also found the Empress Dowager's current state quite sudden.
Yu Jingchen could not articulate his current feelings. As for the Empress Dowager… she hated him, and his past actions had truly disheartened her.
He had never expected the Empress Dowager to leave. She shouldn't be the one to depart. It must have been a sudden surge of anger, but she would surely recover…
And Nan Zhiyun… her father had just passed away. If the Empress Dowager also had a problem, what would become of her? She wouldn't be able to bear it.
"I will go to Cihua Palace. You all take good care of the Empress. Do not tell her about the Empress Dowager's condition. If the Empress wakes up later, immediately send someone to find me. If anything goes wrong, all of you will lose your heads." Yu Jingchen suddenly felt exhausted.
"Yes," the palace staff replied.
After arranging matters here, Yu Jingchen immediately rushed to Cihua Palace. The palace was eerily quiet. Imperial physicians surrounded the Empress Dowager's bed, their brows deeply furrowed.
"How is the Empress Dowager?" Yu Jingchen entered without announcement.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager just fainted. The imperial physicians say her pulse is extremely weak, almost gone." An Xin's eyes were red, clearly having been crying recently.
"How is she?" Yu Jingchen looked at the imperial physicians. One could see the worry and tension in Yu Jingchen's eyes.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's pulse is truly peculiar. Sometimes it is normal, showing no issues. Other times it is extremely weak, as if it could vanish at any moment. We, your humble servants, are at a loss to understand what is wrong with the Empress Dowager." The imperial physicians, having lived so long, had never encountered such a pulse.
"What are the imperial physicians for? Useless!" Yu Jingchen was in no good mood today, appearing as if he could resort to killing at any moment.
"Reward! Whoever can cure the Empress Dowager's ailment will be granted official positions and rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold!" Yu Jingchen was out of options. He truly didn't know what else he could do.
Looking at the Empress Dowager lying on the bed with her eyes closed, Yu Jingchen felt for the first time that she, too, could be so fragile. He realized the Empress Dowager was also slowly growing old.